One of the challenges we’ve seen to true equality of opportunity is that schools and books often can’t (or choose not) offer access to one of the most equalizing resources – first hand stories of how successful entrepreneurs made their ideas a reality. If you grew up in a family or community that had many successful entrepreneurs you may have been lucky to hear many conversations and stories about starting and executing on an idea, but there are millions of people across the country who haven’t had the same advantage and so our hope here is to create a space where those stories can be told in a more public forum for the benefit of any and every aspiring entrepreneur.

Jennifer Huenefeld

I found myself spending plenty of time at home during the covid pandemic and I was searching for a creative outlet. I have always cared about our environment so I was researching way to minimize waste in my household. I fell i love with making handcrafted bar soap and I haven’t stopped since. I really enjoyed that I was making something most people use daily, and I could create it with little to no single use plastics. Read more>>

Jaethebaddieboss

We live in a world that is forever changing. No matter what you do, It can be done virtually too. I began to realize that the skills and education that I had gained throughout my journey could be used outside of a physical building to help others who actually needed and valued my expertise. After being fired in 2021 and just unhappy with where I was in life I decided that I wanted to create a business that I could be proud of and that aligned with my natural creative and strategic vibes. Read more>>

Brandon Prowell

I always enjoyed watching other business owners be great, and I knew pretty early on that I wanted to on my own business. I had no idea what that would look like in life lead me to where my business currently looks like with time. While I do like to plan and calculate, sometimes in life, I have been known to just go! That is exactly how I started. I had a vision board and did not possess the clearest execution strategy, but I just went for it. And hind sight I would encourage any new entrepreneur to save money and do it the correct way. Read more>>

Shakayla Canaday

I had the idea to start a business at the age of 22. I guess looking back my life was always shaping up to turn out this way. My mother always says I was an independent, and creative young child and would often draw “fashionable dolls” every chance I got (think, Bratz doll knock off) so that this is no surprise to her.. Read more>>

Lawren

I had just graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. I was working a 9to 5 which I still do today and those student loan emails started pouring in.I thought to myself what can I do to make extra money. I thought long and hard and started writing down ideas while at work. I looked down at my wrist and thought jewelry I can sell jewelry! I immediately started searching online for wholesale vendors. Read more>>

Stephanie Brown

When I came up with the idea behind Rosie’s List (free eMarketplace featuring verified veteran and military family-owned businesses), the only thing I knew about e-commerce was my expertise as a shopper. I had done my market research on e-commerce sites and even found a veteran developer who believed in my vision to help build it. I was ready to rock and my sense of urgency was off the charts! Read more>>

Lauren and Tyler Stanley

My wife Lauren and I started working out the broad idea behind Terminus Moving back in the summer of 2021, before we even knew we would call the company Terminus Moving. The idea was to start a moving company because I knew plenty of home buyers at that time who were having a tough time finding anyone to help them. I first started doing the basic research on buying trucks and hiring a crew. That path very quickly lead to a lot more research on all of the insurance we would need for this kind of business. Read more>>

Maria Harvey

Whale shark research has been done globally, however, none had ever been studied in the state of Hawai’i. Working on the water for many years, I knew that understanding where whale sharks in Hawaii fit into the global population could aid in conservation efforts. Unlike many other places in the world, whale sharks don’t aggregate In Hawai’i creating a perplexing research issue. How do I go about this? How do I find them? Read more>>

Vanessa Neva Verdoodt

When I opened my business in the fall of 2021, I didn’t have a full fleshed plan. I had a vision, tons of experiences, was surrounded by a great network of artists and educators, and wanted to make a difference in the neighborhood I had lived in the past 10 years, West Adams. The vision was to create a space for dance, culture, community and wellness. Read more>>

Caitlin Foster

Cakelin’s really started when I was in high school. After taking cake decorating lessons with my mom (a bonding experience I didn’t really want at the time) I started making cakes for family friends. Then I attended a vocational high school and went in to Johnson & Wales University to continue learning all about pastry and running a business. After graduation I worked in bakeries, catering departments, and restaurants. Read more>>

Gurneet Chhabra

With an educational background in Computer Science and also working as a content creator at The Savvy Fashion Girl where I share lifestyle and fashion content, I merged my skill-set in web design and social media marketing to officially kick off my entrepreneurial journey. In 2022 I launched Brand Unpuzzled which is a full service branding company specializing in design and marketing for small business owners. Read more>>

Jaida Henley

As a little girl, I had a hard time growing up in Douglasville, GA. My parents were never together as a couple so I experienced a rough attempt at being a child between two co-parents. My mom and dad did the best they could with the resources they had but I remember feeling very misunderstood. When I was in fifth grade, all the social media apps started becoming relevant. I remember downloading instagram and creating a Taylor Swift fanpage nobody I knew could follow so I could vent and feel heard. Read more>>

Brooke Silverman

My photography journey began back in 2009 (my senior year of high school). I thought my senior year as the world’s most unathletic person it would be a great idea to try my hand at tennis. Well, I fell and broke my foot on the first day of tennis camp and was unable to take the required gym class I needed to graduate. Instead I was placed in two photography classes and unexpectedly fell in love with photography. Read more>>

Alisha Glenn

I have so many ideas in my head. I’m one of the people that wants to try everything at least once. But of course every leader has to make a decision. So I checked off a couple ideas and put it in motion. This next one wasn’t even on the list, Starting Boss 2 Boss Leadership Foundation wasn’t even up there. An associate of mines came to me about it. Next thing you know we took took off. Working on the mission statement. I started talking to close friends and family about it. Read more>>

MarQuis Spivey

Going from idea to execution was the hardest for me because that’s where my anxiety was at its peak. But at the same time you have to understand anxiety will always come and go and it’s all about sticking to your game plan and your business model. You do that with intense preparation. Once I knew I wanted to get into online arbitrage and wholesale with Amazon FBA I knew I had to dive into the industry to research and know it like the back of my hand. Read more>>

Alexis Haselberger

I’d been working in startups for years, running HR and business operations, where there were always more things to do than people to do them. People I worked with started to gravitate to me for help streamlining systems internally and managing personal productivity and when the last start-up I worked for was winding down (as many, if not most, start ups do), I started to realize that there was a skillset that I had, Read more>>

Pascha Oliver

The Breathing Zone started from a simple conversation over 9 years ago. The lord brought back to my heart, the need of people who are experiencing so many transitions in life. The progression of idea to launching the ministry and preparing for our first conference was easy, once I accepted WHO God said I am. It requires focus, vision and risk taking. Whenever facing a new challenge such as starting a business, I suggest writing down the process it will take to get to your goal. Even if there’s a new step that you don’t have the language or answer for. Read more>>

Davida Bonney

I have always wanted to start a business, but I did not know what business to start. My business Godly Totes first started as a T-shirt business, well in my mind I did not officially start it but I made so many designs waiting for the right time to start but the right time never came and the t-shirt business became so popular, it looked like everyone was starting one, so me being me I decided to look for another thing to do, I was scrolling on Instagram one day and I landed on a totes bag page and it hit me, Read more>>

 Uche Eke

Growing up, I have always looked up to my parents for being business owners. In 2021 I had accomplished my Olympic Dream, competing for Nigeria as the First Olympic Nigerian Gymnast (Tokyo 2020). Doing so, motivating people from all across the world became my goal because I believe that if I can do it, you can do it too. Having this attitude had lead me to wanting to do more for Nigeria, as well as being the person who can show all the great things Nigeria has to offer. Read more>>

Jackson Flores

I lost my job at the start of the pandemic. My best friend and co-founder of Dish Roulette Kitchen owns and operates an accountancy on the northside of Chicago and he saw first hand how hard the pandemic was hitting small businesses, especially restaurants. That’s when he decided to self fund the first round of microgrants through DRK. Read more>>

Kymberly Langford

I actually started twice…. I had just started my business right before COVID hit, so I had to close shop on the travel business because I just wasn’t getting any business. Life happened in between, but I was able to start back up this year. I got the idea to start my travel business when I saw how much I loved to travel. I saw how much I loved to see the world and I wanted to help others do the same. Read more>>

Lisa Hoeg

I originally never intended to have a business from something that was a hobby. However, I had a ton of support-friends telling me I should launch a business. I thought they were just being kind, after all there’s a ton of custom tees businesses already out there. But when I began scrolling Instagram, I stopped on one post that used an audio saying that yes there’s a ton out there, but you aren’t. Read more>>

Ariel Panowicz

I began my photography business about 14 years ago. My work lives in a rich, colorful land of vibrant people and places. I try and create authentic moments in unlikely spots as I believe you can find beauty anywhere if you shift your perception on things a wee bit! I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot over the last 14 years. Throughout my travels, I would always come upon these really amazing spaces. Read more>>

Daria Dana

After I had the idea for Zigleys, I took off running. With my family’s support and encouragement, I moved quickly and launched one year later. I had the concept in my head of a high-end, luxurious line of gold hair jewelry. I imagined it being like black Tiffany’s, whose branding I admire. First up was coming up with a name. I initially wanted to name the company Crown Jewel because the black community often refers to our hair as our “crown,” and I’d be making jewels for hair. Read more>>

Arleshia McGirt

I discovered my love for photography when I was 10 years old, my parents bought me my very first camera, the Polaroid 2000 (one stop camera)! Omg, I was so in love with this device and concept. I was able to capture the moments of life and receive the prints instantly! At that moment I realized I always wanted to be a photographer. In 2013 graduated from Winston Salem State University with a Bachelors in Mass Communications. Read more>>

George Shands

My name is George Shands. I am the founder & CEO of GFresh Emporium. I began my business in June 2018 with a mission to make the world smell good. I wanted to do something fresh and exciting, something I could put my style and personality into. I decided I wanted to provide fresh-smelling products to the people of Philadelphia and beyond. I learned about money management and followed guidance from those who supported me. I understood it would be a gradual process, but I was patient and determined to succeed. Read more>>

Fouchina Kirkendoll

Once a victim, now a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I can recall the feelings of loneliness and confusion. After decades of suffering in silence, I decided to face it and to help others do the same. It was at that point that I started using the power of my voice to speak up, to speak out, and to encourage others to do the same. So, here I am today: once touched, NOW REDEEMED. Out of this experience is where Chronicles of a Favored Woman was birthed. Read more>>

Erin Song

I had been coaching on the side for a couple of years and knew that we had a family move coming for my husbands job! At the time I was a school counselor and high school lacrosse coach. I knew my passion was helping others and there was more inside me than what I was currently doing. In February of 2021, I lost my dad after a good battle with Lewy body dementia. Read more>>

Caroline O’Callaghan

I’ve always had a passion for design, architecture and all things creative. I have painted and studied art through the years. When I left the corporate world working for House Beautiful magazine and then a Madison Ave design firm, I wanted to start something creative of my own. Read more>>